Sign Up for Free Mailing List

May 25, 2001

Narco News 2001

From the MEDIUM RARE newsletter...

DynCorp From Kosovo to Peru

By Jim Rarey

The prefix "dyn" from the Greek connoting power or energy appears in many English works, e.g. dynamo, dynamic and dynamite. It also is found, in one form or another, in the names of corporations many of which are involved in the business of providing energy.

For one corporation, inclusion of that prefix in its name may be more appropriate than many of us realized. The company is "Dyncorp."

The Virginia based company first came to this writer's attention in March of last year. A local police officer (Skender Gocaj from Westland, Michigan) had just returned from Kosovo. He had been hired by Dyncorp (under a contract with the U.S. State Department) to spend one year at a salary of $101,000 helping train KLA terrorists to perform the local police function.

Gocaj was fired after four months in Kosovo. He claims it was because he reported corruption he had witnessed to Dyncorp managers. Dyncorp would only say that Gocaj was terminated for "unsatisfactory performance." Gocaj admits he was reprimanded for talking to local Kosovars in their native language. He was born in Kosovo and came to the U.S. at age eight.

Michigan U.S. Senator Carl Levin (Dem.) supposedly asked the State Department to look into the allegations of Dyncorp corruption. Nothing happened.

The name of Dyncorp surfaced once more in connection with the shoot down of the missionary plane in Peru. Early news reports identified the American "spotters" who fed the Peruvian pilots the targets as under contract to the CIA. It turns out they were actually contracted by Dyncorp which may or may not have had a contract with the CIA. Dyncorp "employees" are also involved in the "defoliating" campaign in Peru and Columbia reminiscent of the Agent Orange debacle in Vietnam.

Dyncorp is only one of a number of government "fronts" or "proprietaries" involved as surrogates around the world. Almost allof its $1.4 billion in 1999 revenue came from the U.S. Government. Its 1999 annual report stated a $4.4 billion backlog of government contracts. Its "extensive sampling" of public sector clients listed in the report includes almost every government agency except the CIA. Of course, it was not portrayed as a complete list.

It also belongs to some interesting associations including The American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and the Society for Epidemiological Research.

These private companies performing government functions ("Cutouts" in the vernacular of the intelligence community) serve two purposes. They provide "deniability" to government officials and they are beyond the reach of congressional oversight and investigations as well as the Freedom of Information Act.

Congress should (but won't) take action to forbid this practice.

 

The author is a freelance writer based in Romulus, Michigan. He is a former newspaper editor and investigative reporter, a retired customs administrator and accountant, and a student of history and the U.S. Constitution.

If you would like to receive Medium Rare articles directly, please contact us at jimrarey@provide.net Although not necessary, we would appreciate an indication of the city and/or state or country (If outside the USA) in which you are located to give us an idea as to where our message is being received.

DynCorp Exposed

The Spy-Glass Turns

"The Nation has obtained a copy of State's contract with DynCorp -- a contract that requires all employees to have a "secret"-level clearance and "not communicate to any person any information known to them by reason of their performance of services." Additionally, it instructs DynCorp to "not refer to this award in any public or private advertising" or in the news media.

"Looking through it, it's not hard to see why. The contract reveals DynCorp's Andean aerial counternarcotics operations to be far more expansive and far-flung than previously reported..."

- By Jason Vest

Read the..

DynCorp-State Department Contract

Corpwatch has acquired a copy of a $600 million dollar contract between DynCorp and the U.S. State Department. The company carries crop fumigation against coca farmers in Colombia, Boliva and Peru. In Colombia it is also involved in drug interdiction, transport, reconnaissance, search and rescue missions, medical evacuation and aircraft maintenance, among other operations. Only a handful of members of Congress are aware of the details of DynCorp's operations, despite the fact that they were funded through U.S. taxpayer dollars. The following is an excerpt from that contract.

Also on CorpWatch:

DynCorp in Colombia:

Outsourcing the Drug War

By Jeremy Bigwood

"Dyniability" Denied